Mansard roofs:  we have a lot of mansard roofs in my area, the 4 walls meet at an angle at the top and have a slight drop to the center. the center is usually just tarred (is that right?).

Aletha

Roofing: In Home Depot I found what they call Non skid strips. These are made by 3M and are adhesive backed. What made me notice them is that they are textured. The black strips comes in rolls of varying widths. 1"or 3"   etc. The black is textured like sand. The gray color comes in same the sizes and is a more pronounced texture. Finally, the bone color (us girls know that color is) between the two as far as texture is concerned. It sells for$  0.85/ft. for the 1" size. You can purchase any length you want or buy it in complete rolls. I used the black 1" to shingle a roof. Cut it into 1" pieces and stuck it on the roof. Makes good looking roofing shingles.

DrBob...Delray Beach, FL.

Plank flooring:   we have used this and did not remove the backing paper, just glued the product down as it was.   so far after several years we have not noticed any changes and it looks as flat as when we did it.

Mary B

Fretwork designs: You asked about designs for doors. You did not say if it is a frame and the fretwork becomes the filler inside the frame or if the fretwork lies on the solid face of the door. What I have done is two things. For fancy screen work (grill work). I take normal window screening and rotate it 90 degrees. This results in the squares in the screen becoming diamonds. Second. I have taken paper doilies and cut out the paper fretwork and used that to fill in the frame of the door. Usually on a cabinet type doors.

DrBob...Delray Beach, FL.

Glues: And speaking of glue, I now import Aliphetic and Super Aliphetic glues which are terrific for putting houses together when you are also nailing or using clamps. They have some tackiness, fill gaps and when you do models they can take a stain. They were specially designed for the thin, tab construction houses like Greenleaf or Corona.

My secret to a permanent shingled roof is to use Quick Grab which should be used sparingly. I work with enough for 5-6 shingles at a time, because the glue sets up fast and sometimes the phone rings.

At first when I started doing houses for others I used Liquid Nails in a caulk gun. It was a bit messy but I learned quickly to control it. However, when I was out of it 2 years later I used Quick Grab, and I haven't gone back. I work fast and don't want to worry about shingles sliding or coming loose later. I've repaired child damaged roofs done with glue guns. For that I'm thankful, because the shingles are usually loose and can be pulled out or I can loosen them with a hair dryer. Those house done with glue guns that have been stored in attics also tend to wilt. QG costs more, but it's worth it.

Deanna from beautiful downtown Thiensville

Play room furniture: , I've been noticing children's furniture in recent newspaper ads. They use "pencils" for the legs of tables and chairs. They look easy to make in mini, using real pencils. They would be great for a play room or nursery in a modern house.

MAP in Puyallup

Splintering of wood on the scroll saw. If you want to prevent splintering of the wood you are cutting; clamp it between two pieces of scrap wood. that way all the splintering will be on the scrap wood.

DrBob...Delray Beach, FL

Shingles: When I put on shingles, I mark the roof 3/4 inch from the bottom and then every full inch beyond that. I line up shingles along a straight edge and put a strip of masking tape over the row. This is a great job for the grandchildren, when they want to "help". In truth, having a second person to keep feeding you strips of shingles is a real blessing. Anyway, run a line of hot glue about a quarter inch below the pencil mark, and lay the entire row of shingles in one "swell foop", as my eldest called it.

The secret to a permanent roofing job is not to use low-melt glue; it will harden before you get to the end of the row, and will soften in the sunshine. I used regular hot-melt on all my buildings and haven't lost more than one or two shingles.

Dani in Bradshaw MD

Shingles: When I put on shingles, I mark the roof 3/4 inch from the bottom and then every full inch beyond that. I line up shingles along a straight edge and put a strip of masking tape over the row. This is a great job for the grandchildren, when they want to "help". In truth, having a second person to keep feeding you strips of shingles is a real blessing. Anyway, run a line of hot glue about a quarter inch below the pencil mark, and lay the entire row of shingles in one "swell foop", as my eldest called it.

The secret to a permanent roofing job is not to use low-melt glue; it will harden before you get to the end of the row, and will soften in the sunshine. I used regular hot-melt on all my buildings and haven't lost more than one or two shingles.

Dani in Bradshaw MD

Hagatha's House:    I have noticed the people asking that the answers to questions be posted on the digest and not mailed directly to the asker.   I asked about Hagatha's insides and roof.   On the inside, most people thought I should have hand-hewn beams with stucco or stonework inside.   I did this and it does look great, the walls are a light tan stucco with the beams dark brown,  The floors are planks, also dark brown.  The fireplace and outside walls are gray stonework stippled with black, green and brown.   Son Alex says it looks mossy on the outside now.    On the roof, I had thatch suggested the most, with sod being the second suggestion.  One reader kindly offered to send me broom straw from Georgia, which I will be very grateful for and will send some handmade roses in a florist box in swap.   Also, Another reader sent me a link to a thatching site, that showed how to do it!  More gratefulness!  I will try thatching.. what is the worst thing that can happen?  I might have to rip it off and start over.. oh, well, I've done that before!

In any case, I agree, send the answers to the digest as I really like reading the hints others give others too!  

Eileen in St. Louis

Paperclay substitutes: When I checked Pearl, they had a number of other products that   look a lot like Paperclay - I've never seen any of them before. In the interests of science, I bought one package and tried it out. It's called Formo, and as far as I can tell, it looks, feels, and acts just like Paperclay, and it was a few dollars cheaper. Hurray!

There were other brands, I don't remember the names though; does anyone know if these work the same way as well? They also had something called Diamond  Paperclay, by Creative Paperclay; what's the difference between that and regular Paperclay? Paperclay is wonderful; I was lucky enough to take one of Rik Pierce's classes, and I'm a total convert.

Christine in NYC

Bayberry Cottage:Working with pressed wood is fairly new to me, but so far, so good.   Have been using carpenter's yellow glue instead of Alene's tacky which I usually use.  The yellow glue holds really well.  I found that out when I realized I had glued something together incorrectly.   When separating, some of the pressed wood came apart.   Luckily, the pieces were small, and it did give me experience that may come in handy later if I do a big mistake.

A large part of the roof is glued together before setting atop the shell.   It's kind of hard lifting that heavy thing into place. Possibly, I'll even find I've done something wrong, and have to backtrack. But when in Rome, do as the Romans do, and if more and more kits will be using MDF pressed wood, it's time for me to learn how to work with the stuff.

Dolores

Ceiling fan: Some 20 years ago, I used scrap flooring to make my ceiling fan...glued 2 pieces back to back over a piece of wire, let glue dry, trim the paddles to shape with scissors, sandwich the wires between 2 circles of wood..ceiling fan!! You can see mine on my website in the Odds and Ends section... http://www.geocities.com/josdollhouse/

jo-in-GA

Gutters and Rainwater pipes:  I came across this site by chance.  I hope it is of use.   They have a great range of items. JSM Miniatures Specialists in 1/12 scale Rainwater Fittings for Doll's Houses. http://www.jsm-miniatures.com

Evelyn

Source 3/8" Cabinet grade plywood: Try this URL for a mail order wood supply; http://shop.woodcraft.com/woodcraft/assets/html/homepage.asp?URLCheck=1  Also a selection of several suppliers  in the country;    http://dmoz.org/Arts/Crafts/Woodcraft/Woodworking/Lumber/  More ?, just go to www.google.com and search for "cabinet grade plywood suppliers" or some other words describing your needs

George Hoffman

Glass Blocks: Since glass brick(block) is translucent and not transparent I imagine that  gluing a few pieces of Plexiglas together and cutting blocks from that should   fill the bill.

DrBob...Delray Beach, FL.

Glass Blocks: Since glass brick(block) is translucent and not transparent I imagine that  gluing a few pieces of Plexiglas together and cutting blocks from that should   fill the bill.

DrBob...Delray Beach, FL

Instead of balsa: I often use the foam trays that meat come packaged in. Unlike balsa, it can be cut in any direction and does not split. It can be sanded on the ends if needed, stained or painted. I have made shelves, cabinets and wood cook stoves from it for my roomboxes. Cut with scissors or X-acto knife, use foam glue or Elmer's school glue. Use spring clothespins for clamps.

Roy

Foamcore; foamcore will warp if too much moisture is applied at one time to only one side. I would prime BOTH sides with gesso. This creates a tooth that will grab your paint, tissue, etc. and protect your creation.   I reinforce my walls with wire coat hangers that I snip apart with my wire cutters and slide down the foam interior just like studs in our real walls. I have structures of foamcore that are over 25 years old and look GREAT!!! I still make prototypes from foamcore.  

Becky Holliday

Foamcore is available in two grades and sizes. It can be purchased in 1/8 and 3/16 thickness and is available in Acid-free (this is better, right Kathy!) and regular grades. Sheet sizes are 32 X 40 and 40 X 60 and can be purchased from a custom frame shop or an art store.

I used to make architectural models and they were 1/4 scale. I used 1/8 acid free board for the structure and used matboard for doors interior walls, and windows, and made the furniture with foamcore and matboard. I am currently making a 1" scale using 3/16 foamcore and matboard to give me the 5/16th standard of walls and the structure is 45 X 45 X 60 high and is quite structurally sound. I use matboard for "painted" walls and if I need thinner material, I peel the top layer of matboard off and glue it to the foamcore. I have architectural models built 15 years ago and they are still fine.

Douglas, Hamilton, ON, Canada